Imprint
by Alexis St. Claire
Summary: What if Jacob had imprinted on Bella? Rated M just in case I change my mind, it's T now.
1. Reunited

What if Jacob had imprinted on Bella?

Pg. 266 New Moon

"_Jacob, please," I whispered. "Won't you tell me what happened? Maybe I can help."_

"_No one can help me now." The words were a low moan: his voice broke._

"_What did he do to you?" I demanded, tears collecting in my eyes. I reached out to him as I had once before, stepping forward with my arms wide._

_This time he cringed away, holding his hands up defensively. "Don't touch me," he whispered._

But I kept walking, and he kept backing up until I sprinted and threw myself at him; he had no choice. Jacob could either catch me, or let me fall to the ground; if he let me fall … I don't know what I would do.

There was a whoosh of air as sailed I through the empty space…and a sign escaped my throat when I felt his strong, steady arms come around me. I fell against his chest in relief. I was embraced by his heat, his warmth. I held on to him with all my might, my nails digging into his chest and skin. But there was no give. His hands did not caress my arms, his body did not cradle mine; there was no love in his embrace, only caution.

He didn't react in anyway, as if he didn't have his once-love clutching herself to him. But slowly, so slowly I might not have noticed if I hadn't been completely plastered to his side, I felt his stiff stance weakening. Centimeter by slow centimeter, he started to tremble, in supplication or anger I didn't know but I held on, I didn't care; no one else mattered except Jake. For so long Jacob had been the one to put me back together, now it was my turn.

I was going to put him back together. Whatever it was, whatever was happening I didn't care; for once _I_ was going to take care of _him_.

After what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, his legs seemed to give out and he fell to his knees. He was so tall now, that even kneeled before me his head reached my sternum. His arms squirmed in discomfort, then, like a house caving in on itself his stance crumbled, and his arms fell from my shoulders to wrap around my waist. He relaxed fully, his grip becoming lax, and I almost toppled over under his weight but I held my ground, bracing myself against him so we were leaning on each other.

I could feel his warm breath brush my flesh and his burning skin pressed against mine but I didn't mind at all, I actually found it quite pleasant. I simply wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and twined my hands in his now cleanly cut hair. I rubbed my fingers threw his short hair, it was spiky and uneven, so it must've been cut at home by someone. I mourned the loss of his once long locks.

I leaned my head down so my nose rested on the crown of his own, and inhaled his warm scent. I kissed his scalp lightly, and leaned my forehead against the side of his.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay. I promise …" I said these types of things over and over, wanting to imprint them on his soul.

Then a series of loud thumps and cracks broke our silent paradise.

Sam and his followers stepped through the trees, they were all scowling angrily and frankly it pissed me off. When one of the wolves made a move to open his mouth, no doubt a sharp reprimand on his tongue, I said in low, vicious voice, "_Don't. Say. Anything. Not one goddamn word."_

Shockingly he listened, his mouth snapping closed with an audible _snap._

I sighed my shoulders sagging and just snuggled my body around Jacob's, like a shield, and just held on for dear life.

When I felt Jacob tense his muscles to rise I held on tighter, squeezing my eyes shut, not wanting to believe our time had come to close so quickly. But he rose anyway, strongly gently removing my arms from around him. When he turned toward them, I latched onto his hand.

"Please, don't." I choked, and this time when he turned back to look at me there was no anger there, only a bone deep sadness that shook me.

"I have to, Bella." My chest felt like it was cracking open wide in agony.

"No you don't," I said vehemently. "You can _choose_ to stay; you can _choose_ to say no to them, you _can_."

"It's not that simple, Bella," he said shaking his head, lightly tugging his hand back. In my opinion, he didn't put too much effort in the pull.

"Yes. It is." I tugged back on his hand.

"What would _you_ know about it?" the sneering voice came from behind us. I peered over Jacob's shoulder just as he turned his head.

"Paul," he growled under his breath. "She just wants to help."

"Oh, _yeah,_ I'm sure the leech lover is just _dying_ to help us out!"

"Don't call her that!" Jacob yelled back.

A shudder rippled through the other boy, along his shoulders and down his spine.

"Paul," Sam called sharply. "Relax!"

Paul shook his head back and forth, as if trying to clear his head.

"Jake," I whispered trying to bring his attention back on me. He turned to look at me, his eyes communicating an inner struggle that had more to do with us than his new friends.

"Bells, I'm just not good for you…" Jacob started to speak, attempting to use a 'reasonable' tone, to pacify me I assumed.

"Don't give me that bullshit. You're the best thing for me, Jacob!" My eyes fell to his chest. "I know I haven't … been well lately, but I could be better! If there was anyone I'd want to be with, it'd be you. I'd do it Jake, I would! It wouldn't be hard at all, You're so easy to love…" My breath caught in my throat, tears filling in my eyes. I wanted to run and hide away; I hated showing more weakness to Jake than I already had.

My gaze lifted again and caught his obsidian gaze. I lifted the hand I held to my check, brushing against it tenderly before pressing it to my chest, above my heart.

"It'd be so easy to love you Jake…" My voice was choked, thick with trying to keep my tears from spilling over. Jacob's face twisted into a pained grimace. His body arching forward towards me in a freakish dance. It seemed his body was trying to gravitate towards me; but he wasn't allowing it free reign.

"I just … I can't Bella. I can't put you in danger." Jacob's voiced trembled, his hand shaking where I held it against my thundering heart.

"You wouldn't," I urged. "You could never hurt me Jacob, anyone could see that." I walked forward, till we were close again. "Jacob, I need you … please …" I trailed off, looking at him helplessly. It was the last argument in my arsenal. I could see his will weakening, his body slowly giving into the pull he had towards me. I was completely surrounded by his body; his scent overwhelmed me. I had been feeling on edge all the time since he'd stopped visiting; twitchy almost. I hadn't been able to sit still. I hadn't been able to relax. Now, feeling his warm body against mine, smelling his heated skin, I could feel my body giving out. Relaxing; melting.

"Get away from him you freak!" An angry shout echoed across the field separating us.

"Jeez, Paul," another boy muttered. "Get a grip."

Paul twisted his head toward the boy, his lips curling back in irritation and warning. Then he shifted his glare toward me. Jacob tensed in front of me, turning and spreading his legs, holding his arms outward in a fighting stance.

That did it.

"Oh, right, protect her!" Paul roared back like a lion with its paw pricked. Another shudder, a convulsion, heaved through his body. He threw his head back, a real life growl tearing from between clenched teeth.

"Paul!" Sam and Jacob shouted together.

Paul fell forward on his hands and knees, vibrating in an unearthly way. Then there was a ripping sound, almost like fabric being torn apart, and the boy exploded.

It wasn't like in the movies where fake skin fell to the ground, bones cracked, or blood spattered, it was just as if Paul ceased to exist, as if he'd never been, and what stood in his place was like a nightmare out of a book.

Hulking muscle and rising fur, a snarling mass of power. A wolf the size of a horse towering over the ground, his dark enraged eyes focused totally on me.

In the same second all this took place, Jacob was running across the forest floor straight for the monster.

"Jacob!" I screamed.

Mid-stride a long tremor shivered down Jacob's spine. He leapt forward, diving into empty air and then Jacob ceased to exist too. It happened so quickly I would've missed if I'd even blinked. The same hulk of an animal in his place, russet brown and huge, still charging toward the silver beast.

Jacob met the other wolf's attack head-on, their angry snarls echoed like thunder off the trees. Scraps of what had been Jacob's clothes floated to the ground.

"Jacob!" I screamed again, staggering forward.

"Stay where you are, Bella," Sam ordered. It was hard to hear over the battle sounds. They were snapping and tearing at each other, their teeth flashing toward each other's throats. The Jacob-wolf seemed to have the upper hand– he was visibly bigger than the other, and it looked like he was stronger too. He rammed his shoulder against the gray wolf again, knocking him back towards the trees.

Then I saw something that never terrified me more than my life, the silver wolf's claws slashing toward Jacob ripping away fur and drawing a great amount of blood. I screamed, a wordless sound of agony and collapsed to the ground, the world fading away around me.

_**I know I'm evil, but I hope you don't think ending it with Bella fainting was wimpy.**_


	2. Twitchy

I was awakened, unceremoniously, I might add, by a sharp crack at the back of my head. I jerked away and moaned, fighting to raise my arms and realizing they had been strapped down. My eyes opened wide.

I was in a truck, my truck to be exact, driven by two boys, and we were bouncing around unmercifully on the bumpy reservation road. Before I had time to panic I heard their voices and it all came crashing back. Jacob. The wolves. Blood. I groaned and leaned my head forward against the headrest, then almost cursed aloud, and struggled to free my arms from the restricting seatbelt.

"Hey, you alright back there?"

The boy who asked the question peered over the top of the seat, he seemed vaguely familiar, the thin face … Embry.

"It's not exactly everyday you see something like that," Embry went on.

"I do," the other boy grumbled. "Every single day."

"AW, Paul doesn't lose his temper _every_ day, probably four out of seven." Embry grinned easily, as if he hadn't just watched one of his best friends grow a tail and teeth, then get attacked.

"Did you see what was left of Jake's shoes?" the other boy asked. "Billy said that was the last pair he could afford, guess Jake's going barefoot now."

"Did you get Sam's shoes, he'll kill us if we forgot again."

"If _you_ forgot again," Embry corrected, "and yeah, I got them, saved your hide."

Suddenly, they seemed to remember I was there listening to their conversation with avid attention. They both looked at me, Embry full on, and the boy driving eyed me in his peripheral vision, both carefully assessing. There was an awkward silence before they carried on another conversation except this one was based on me.

"Jake shouldn't have dragged his girlfriend into this."

I broke in, "I'm not his girlfriend," but they both ignored me.

I stared out the window of the truck, and finally realized we'd left the reservation road and were now driving through a dense forest.

I sat up straight. "Where are we going?"

"Emily's." Embry answered.

"Who's Emily?"

"Sam's fiancée," said the other boy.

"Does she know about …?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

We were silent again, and then the vehicle came to a rolling stop. My head jerked around, trying to process what it was seeing at an increasingly rapid pace. As I climbed out of the truck Embry stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

"Do yourself a favor and try not to stare, it really bugs Sam."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

He passed me a covert look. "You'll see."

At the end of a mossy path was a tiny house. There was only one window beside the weathered blue door, but the window box under it was filled with bright orange and yellow marigolds, giving the whole place a cheerful look.

Embry walked forward with his nose in the air and a grin on his lips. "Mmmm, Emily's cookin'."

The boy who I had now deemed Jared, having remembered him from Jakes stories as one of Sam's 'goons', headed for the door.

They climbed up the three-step patio and entered without announcement, I followed meekly.

The front room was a kitchen, like Billy's, and a young woman wearing worn jeans and a gauzy blouse faced away from us, washing something in the sink. She had straight crow black hair that reached all the way too her waist, copper satiny smooth skin, and her curvaceous hips swayed lightly to whatever tune she hummed. When the timer dinged loudly she hurried to pull out a pan of some sort. Then she turned around to face us, a warm, greeting smile on her face. And, for a nanosecond, I thought Sam didn't want us to stare because she was so beautiful. And then I saw the scars.

Three jagged lines scraped across the right side of her face from her hairline to her chin. They looked livid as if they had been put there only yesterday, though they were long healed. One pulled down the corner of a dark, almond shaped eye, the other twisted her mouth into a permanent grimace of pain. Thankful for Embry's warning I looked down at whatever she had waiting in her hands. It was a pan of muffins. Big muffins. They smelled wonderful—like blueberries, sugar and fresh melted butter.

"Oh," her smiled quirked lightly on the smiling half of her face. "Who's this?"

"Bella Swan," Jared told her, shrugging. Apparently I had been the topic of conversations before. "Who else?"

She stared at me, neither half of her once beautiful face was friendly. "So you're the vampire girl?"

I stiffened. "Yes. And you're the wolf girl?"

She laughed, as did Jared and Embry, the left half of her face warming again. "I guess I am." She turned to Jared expectantly. "Where's Sam?"

"Bella, er, surprised Paul this morning."

Emily rolled her good eye. "Ah, Paul," she sighed. "Do you think they'll be long? I was just about to start eggs."

"Don't worry," Embry told her. "If they're late, we won't let anything go to waste."

Emily chuckled throatily, "I don't doubt it. Bella are you hungry? Just help yourself, and don't let those yahoos run you off from whatever you want."

I smiled, and laughed lightly. "Thanks." I took a muffin from the plate and took a large, healthy bite of it. Warm, buttery, sugared bread filled my mouth with a burst of tangy fruit. It was heaven. Embry picked up his third and shoved it into his mouth whole.

"Save some for your brothers," Emily scolded, slapping him on the back of his head with a wooden spoon as she passed. I was a little startled to hear the word, but none of them seemed phased, and it was then I realized how … close they all were. And why not? I mean, they all went through this monumental change together, faced death together, why wouldn't they be close? It surprised me when I was dealt with another epiphany they really _were_ a family. Like the Cullen's. All of them, put together, piece-by-piece, all with different personalities and yet somehow the same. They _really_ were brothers.

"Pig," Jared commented. This resorted in a tiny food fight between bys which it seemed to me, Emily took much pleasure in ending with some very hard swipes of that wooden spoon again.

I leaned against the kitchen and watched them interact with each other. It was playful and warm and I wanted to be a part f it somehow. The yearning caught me off guard for a moment, and I scowled, yanking another bite from my muffin viciously.

I felt so out of place here, everything was peace and light, while I felt like I was about to jump out of my skin. The twitchy feeling was back, and I bounced lightly on the balls of my feet. How long had it been since we left Jake and Paul? Were they alright? I had that clawing, aching emptiness in the pit of my stomach like when you take the first downhill run on a roller coaster. The feeling had disappeared when she'd hugged Jake, but now that they were separated the feeling was stronger. She felt so unbalanced which shouldn't be new to her considering her clumsiness; but it was different than simply being uncoordinated. It was like a part was missing.

I shook my head in confusion and looked around. Emily's kitchen was a friendly and bright place, with white cupboards and pale wooden floorboard. On a little round table, a cracked blue and white china pitcher was overflowing with wildflowers. Embry and Jared, though twice the size of the table they sat at, seemed perfectly at ease.

Emily was mixing a humongous bowl of eggs, several dozen, in a big yellow bowl. She had the sleeves of her blouse pushed up and from where I stood I could see the scars ran down the entire length of her arm and right hand. Hanging out with werewolves truly did have its risks.

The front door was suddenly swung open and in stepped Sam.

"Emily." That was all he said. Just one word. That was all. But oh, how could so much feeling be put into one word. So much love saturated his voice that I felt more than a little embarrassed thinking I was intruding on a particularly intimate moment. I watched as he crossed the room with 2 great strides and take her face to cradle them between his wide hands. He leaned down and kissed the dark scars on her right cheek before he kissed her lips.

"Hey none of that," Jared complained. "I'm eating."

"Then shut up and eat," Sam suggested, kissing Emily's ruined mouth again.

"Ugh," Embry groaned.

I expected to flinch, to hurt, to bleed and shatter into a thousand pieces, but I did none. In fact I got a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest, and something else, a pang of longing. I stared at the happiness and complete adoration so easily displayed on their faces. And I thought _I want someone to look at me like that. _Not just anyone. Someone in particular.


	3. I'm Good With Weird

I was shocked to see that not two seconds after Sam had walked through the door, did Jacob and Paul walk through it. Both seemed unscathed, and, if you can believe laughing and hitting each other on the back as if they shared some little secret. While I watched, Paul punched Jacob on the shoulder and Jacob went for a kidney jab in return. They laughed again.

They might've been best buds outside but as soon as they stepped through the door Jacob's smile disappeared, giving way to an intense look of determination. While Paul seated himself at the table, reaching for a massive muffin, Jake scanned the room, his eyes stopping when he found me leaning, awkward and out of place, against the counter with muffin crumbs on my chin.

When he saw me he seemed to freeze. His eyes were wary and cautious, as if he were waiting for me to point my finger and cry wolf. (Go figure?) Then he took a tentative step forward looking at me as if he was a puppy and he was afraid I was going to kick him. He took another step and another all the while watching me as if afraid I would run away. I offered him a small smile and shock broke out over his handsome face.

Without hesitation now, he walked straight over to me, looking at me in a way that for some reason unknown to me made my breath catch and my heart beat faster. He walked until he practically blocked my view of anyone around us, his broad chest facing my shoulder and then he wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his head in my neck. I didn't mind, no, in fact I enjoyed it very much. Probably more than I should have.

"Bella." My name, all he said was my name, but it sent chills through me. There was something in his voice, something that sounded so utterly devout and … relieved? The way he said it, two syllables drawing out the –la, so it came out low and husky, on a breath of air. Bel-llaaa.

A tension I hadn't even seen in him while he was walking up the stairs seemed to drain out of him. He leaned heavily against me, slowly rotating his thumbs against the bare skin between the waist of my jeans and the tail end of my t-shirt. He moved his nose slightly in the cloud of my hair and inhaled deeply, holding my scent in his lungs a minute before exhaling. My eyes shuttered at the contact. It sent a trill through me, and the edgy feeling dissipated.

Jake maneuvered his body around mine so his front was to my back his hands clasped together and resting lightly on my lower abdomen. He lifted his head with a sigh, kissing the back of my head lightly, under my jaw, at the sensitive juncture at the base of my throat before settling his chin on my shoulder, lightly pressing his cheek to mine.

I probably should've stopped him then, it was getting way too personal, but I didn't. I relaxed against him, and let my eyes close, knowing we would not be able to sit like this for long. We had business to discuss. Victoria, other problems. Charlie. What were we going to do with Charlie? Not to mention I need much more info on the whole werewolf thing. What was it like? Did it hurt?

My heart clenched at the fact of anything hurting my Jacob.

I froze, muscles locking, breath halting. Since when did he become my Jacob? I had no claim on him, he wasn't mine.

But you want him to be.

I very nearly fainted right there. I did, I really did want Jacob to myself. I felt jealous of all the boys who got to spend so much time with him that used to be only for me, and I felt an unnatural surge of anger at the picture of a nameless girl attached to the arm of a smiling Jacob. To try to distract myself from these thoughts I turned my head into Jake's shoulder, inhaling his warm scent. It was like those spicy pumpkin scents, along with pine, and fresh-dewed grass. I relaxed even more every time I inhaled. My head started to feel light and I knew if I tried to walk right then I would surely fall flat on my face.

He must've felt me … sniffing … him, I guess because his arms tightened even more around me, possessively. Affectionately.

For the first time in a while I felt the urge to grin in more than amusement, more than effort to please … I was content to be here. I looked around and watched the boys chatter, Sam and Emily's cute displays of affection and then couldn't help tilting my head up to look at Jacob. He was staring down at me too. When our eyes met I enjoyed watching his eyes crinkle as he smiled slightly. Tenderly. There was a light in his eyes that hadn't been there before. The emotion looked completely foreign on his face, so young and yet lined with wisdom that not many grown men had. My heart pounded so hard I felt like at any moment it would burst through my chest and plop down at his feet in an embarrassing display.

"Alright" I heard Sam's voice say loudly and it took all my might to break our gaze and look across the room at Sam who was now seated at the front of the round table, with Emily standing behind him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Jacob," he said, his voice full of authority. "I want to speak with you outside for a moment."

I felt Jacob stiffen slightly but felt his head move against my hair. He was nodding.

Sam stood up, leaving the room but not without a goodbye kiss on Emily's lips. Jacob gave me a tight squeeze before removing his arms and leaving the room at a much slower pace, glancing back at me once or twice. I felt annoyingly depressed when he was gone, and an empty space sat in my chest. I found it harder to breathe and was perturbed to why I would feel that way.

There was an awkward silence I felt hesitant to break. Emily did it for me.

"So, Bella, you and Jake?"

I understood immediately what she was implying and vehemently shook my head.

"We're, I mean, me and Jake, we aren't together or anything …"

She quirked an eyebrow, her right one of course. Her face was dubious, if not incredulous.

"Really?"

I nodded slowly, a pain stinging in my chest, like a small barb. Why it hurt me so, I tried not to think about.

"You two sure looked cozy over there snuggling and all." This comment was from Jared.

"Yeah, he was plastered all over you, Bella." Embry, laughed loudly.

"Sure looked like some action was about to get going." Paul said jeeringly.

I blushed even as I said, "Jake doesn't think of me … like that … I mean, we're just friends."

"Honey, every teenage male thinks like that, and sorry, but I saw a whole lot more than a friendly hug goin' on back there." Emily chuckled throatily, tossing her hair back slightly. But her eyes didn't have the same humor. They seemed testing, wary, almost as much as Jacob's had been when he had spotted me hidden in the corner when he first walked in. except they also had a fierce fire of protectiveness about them that made me want to shrink back.

My face blushed hotter. "Well, I-I mean, w-we …"

The door slammed open and Jacob tense and angry stormed in. Sam followed in more calmly, a small smile graced his features and for a moment I was distracted. He really was a handsome man when he smiled. But it was his eyes that got me. His eyes said they knew something and when he looked at me he got this wry look and my own eyes narrowed. What was he up to?

"Would you guys please stop interrogating Bella?" Jake demanded, his shoulders quivering slightly. I didn't have much experience around werewolves yet but I did no the shaking was a bad sign. Without thinking I walked toward Jake and wrapped an arm around him, the other automatically gripping his hand closest to me. His frame was tense but when he looked down at me the agitated expression left his eyes, instantly replaced by steady warmth that slowly grew in his gaze. His face bordered on the look of awe-struck joy, the blatant tenderness and affection I had seen before, except this time even more pronounced.

"It's okay," I smiled slightly. "I don't mind, they have the right."

He scowled again, looking up to glare at him brothers. "No, they don't."

"Jake," I sighed. "Not only have you involved me in keeping this secret at the risk of your life, but also at the risk of theirs. Let them ask questions."

I looked back the boys and Emily with a steady fearless gaze even though I felt anything but. "Even if it is none of their business."

I saw slight looks of shock, followed by bubbling amusement on my comment.

Paul laughed, Embry guffawed and Jared looked impressed.

"Well, I got to hand to you Vamp Girl," I felt Jake stiffen at the name and gave his hand a squeeze. "You sure got some guts," Paul declared.

Sam laughed from the entryway, "Jake's right, you're good with weird."

Hey guys, I need a Beta, if anyones willing to put up with me and I my quirky ways just send me a message.


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